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The Meeting of the Chairmen may introduce a bill to the Standing Committee for deliberation during a current session.
The State Council, the Central Military Committee, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and various special committees of the NPC, can introduce a bill to the Standing Committee. The Meeting of the Chairmen can make a decision to put the bill on the agenda of the next session of the Standing Committee or refer it to a relevant special committee, and submit a report, whereupon the Meeting of the Chairmen can then decide to put it on the agenda of the next session of the Standing Committee. If the Chairmen are of the opinion that there are outstanding issues in respect of the bill, which require further study, it may advise that the sponsor revise and improve the bill before it is introduced to the Standing Committee.
More than ten members of the Standing Committee, acting together, may introduce a bill to the Standing Committee, and the Meeting of the Chairmen may then decide if it will be put on the agenda of the Standing Committee's session or if it should be referred to a special committee. Where such a bill is not to be put on the agenda for the Standing Committee, the Meeting of the Chairmen will make a report to the Standing Committee or explain its reasons to the bill sponsor.
In the course of the deliberations, the committee may invite the sponsor to the session to comment further.
For a bill that has been put on the agenda for a session of the Standing Committee, members must first be provided with a copy of the draft law seven days prior to the session of the Standing Committee.
Such a bill is in general deliberated three times in a current session before being put to the vote.
In the first deliberation, the bill sponsor will brief the plenary session, and thereafter, deliberation will be conducted at group sessions.
In the second deliberation of the bill at the Standing Committee session, the Law Committee will brief the plenary session on the status of amendments and major issues in respect of the draft law, and thereafter, deliberation will be conducted at group sessions.
In the third deliberation of the bill, the Law Committee will report to the plenary session on the result of the deliberations on the draft law, and thereafter, deliberations will be conducted at group sessions.
If necessary, the Standing Committee can, in the course of deliberations, convene a joint group or plenary session to discuss major issues of the draft law.
For a bill that has been put on the agenda and a subsequent problem consensus formed, a procedure of voting may take place after two deliberations by the session of the Standing Committee. For a bill which partially amends a national law, a problem consensus can be brought to a vote after one deliberation.
In the course of deliberations by the group sessions, the sponsor can send representatives to the sessions to hear comments and answer questions.
In the course of deliberations, and if requested by a group, a relevant agency or organization can send representatives to brief the group session.
When a bill that has been put on the agenda of the Standing Committee session has been deliberated by the special committee, it shall present its findings, and print and distribute them, to members of the Standing Committee session.
In the course of deliberation, the relevant special committee can invite members of other committees to give special comment.
For a bill that has been put on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee, the Law Committee can conduct uniform deliberations based on opinions from members of the Standing Committee, the relevant special committee and concerned constituents, and thereafter, give a report on the status of amendment or produce a deliberation report and amended draft law. This report or deliberation will contain notes on major issues of opinion and where a major deliberation opinion is not adopted, the Law Committee should report back to the special committee.
In the course of deliberation, the Law Committee may invite members of a relevant special committee to give their comments.
In the course of deliberation, a special committee will convene a plenary session to conduct deliberations and may request the relevant agency to send the person in charge to brief the session.
When, in the course of deliberations, opinion on a major topic varies, this shall be reported to the Meeting of the Chairmen.
For a bill which has been put on the agenda for a session of the Standing Committee, the Law Committee, the relevant special committee and the office of the Standing Committee shall hear the opinions of concerned constituents, by panel discussion, feasibility study meetings and hearings.
Once deliberated, the office of the Standing Committee will distribute the draft law to the relevant agencies, experts and organizations for comment, and will compile the commentary and present to the Law Committee and the relevant special committee as appropriate, and if required, distribute to the current session of the Standing Committee.
In the case of a major bill on the agenda of the Standing committee, the Meeting of the Chairmen may decide to present the draft law to the public for comment. The subsequent commentary, made by agencies, organizations and citizens, will be compiled and presented to the Standing Committee.
In the case of a bill on the agenda of the Standing committee, the office of the Standing Committee will collect and compile commentary from group sessions and concerned constituents. It shall then distribute them to the Law Committee, the relevant special committee, and if necessary, distribute to the Standing Committee current session.
When a sponsor of a bill on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee makes a request for withdrawal before voting begins, the sponsor shall provide an explanation, and depending on the consent of the Meeting of the Chairmen, and a report received by the Standing Committee, the bill shall be terminated.
If a bill has passed three deliberations by the Standing Committee and still has major issues that need further study, a Meeting of the Chairmen can prepare a motion and upon approval of a joint group session or plenary session, voting may be postponed, there upon the bill shall be submitted to the Law Committee and relevant special committee for further deliberations.
If the deliberation on a bill, that has been put on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee, is postponed for more than two years, due to major differences between constituents such as those that relate to the necessity or feasibility of enacting the bill, or that the voting being postponed, the bill has not been put back on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee for two years, the Meeting of the Chairmen shall report to the Standing Committee and deliberations on the bill will cease.
Upon the deliberation of the draft law by the Standing Committee, the Law Committee will make further amendments based on comments made during deliberations by members of the Standing Committee, and will present a final version of the draft law, to be submitted by the Meeting of the Chairmen, to a plenary session of the Standing Committee for voting. The bill shall then be enacted if more than half of the Standing Committee members vote it through.
A national law passed by the NPC standing committee will be promulgated by a signed presidential order from the President of the state.
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